Coffin-fastener



(No Model.) W 0. LANGBNAU.

GOFFIN PASTE NER.

No. 416,002. Patented Nov. 26, 18819.I

@TNES EES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM, C. LANGENAU, OF BROOKLYN, OHIO.

CoFFlN-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 416,002, dated November 26, 1889.`

Application filed November 24, 1888. Serial No. 291,813. (No model.)

T0 all whom t may concern:

n Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. LANGENAU, a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Cuyahoga, State of Ohio, and a citizen of the United States, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Lid-Catches for Burial-- Gaskets; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and complete description thereof.

The nature of my improvement relates to lid catches or locks employed for fastening the covers or lids of burial-caskets, whereby the lid is locked to the casket, it being an improvement on patents granted to me April l0,

1883,N0. 275,503, and July 17, 1883,No. 281,277.

That the invention may be fully seen and understood, reference will be had to the annexed specification and accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l illustrates a vertical section through the lock and parts of a burial-casket and lid thereof when locked together. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same on line t of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a vertical section showing the lock disengaged and the lid partly removed from the casket. Fig. 4 is an under side face view of the lock attached to the lid.

Like letters of reference denote like parts in the drawings and specification.

In the drawings, A designates a section of the casket, and B the lid or cover thereof.

C is the latch, and D the lock-plate, to which is attached the cap E for the purpose of guiding the latch and spring. (See Figs. l, 2, and The capE is provided with studs a, which extend through the plate D, as seen in Fig. 4, to hold the cap in proper relation with said plate, while the inner end of the latch O has pivots b extending laterally out therefrom, which pivots are guided in the side openings c of the cap E, as seen in Figs. l, 3, and 4f. From the under side of the latch Edepends the hook d, which extends through the slot e in the lock-plate D. The latchspring G, attached. to the inner rear end of the cap E, bears upon the upper iiat side of the latch C to keep the latch in Contact with the lock-plate D. The pivots of the latch C are placed in the side openings before the cap is attached to the plate D by inserting the studs a into the holes thereof. IVhen this is done, the lock is then attached to the lid B, as shown in Figs. l, 2, and 4-that is,

the cap and plate are countersunk into said lid and secured thereto by screws, as seen i Figs. 3 and 4, or by other means.

The catch-plate H of this lock is countersunk into the side of the casket A, as seen in Figs. l and 2, and by means of screws secured to the same. It is so set that when the lid is laid upon the casket and in line therewith the hook CZ of the latch O will slide through the opening f of said plate I-I and lock therein when the lid is seated over the upper side thereof, which keeps the lid locked to the casket, as seen in Figs. l and 2. The mortise G underneath the plate I-I affords room for the hook d to engage and to be disengaged from under the plate H, as seen in Figs. l and out from the plate D, is also adapted to pass down through the plate II with the hook d, and to serve as a guard for said hook in case the shrinkage of the casket and lid should cause a displacement of the relative relation of lock and catch plate-that is,.the shank I will bear on the sides of the opening f and provide room for the hook CZ to allow the removal of the lid B from the casket A in case of such displacement.

On laying the lid upon the casket the hook of the latch O will lock itself automatically in under the catch-plate II. To remove the lid when locked, a lifting force only is re-` quired to be applied under the projecting part of the latch E, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3, which simultaneously results in disengaging the hook from the catch and raising the lid B from the casket A at the same time and by one movement.

What I claim as my invent-ion, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In combination, the mortised cofin-body having a keeper H, the mortised lid, the plate D, secured to the lid and having the catch d, pivoted on its upper side, and the cap-piece E, secured to the lid above the plate D and having the spring secured to its under side, the free end of which bears upon the catch d, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VILLIAM O. LANGENA'U.

Witnesses:

W. H. BUERIDGE, B. F. EIBLER.

The shank I, which projects l IOO 

